Mexico's light vehicle exports edged higher in August even as output declined, highlighting the industry's resilience in the face of US tariffs.
Exports reached 296,796 vehicles in August, a 1.4pc increase from a year earlier, national statistics agency Inegi data show. Cumulative exports for January-August were 2.16mn units, still down by 1pc from the same period of 2024.
Exports last month were the second highest for any August on record since 2018, Mexico auto sales association AMDA's head of economic studies Adriana Ramirez said, reflecting stability, "given the international situation."
Production, in contrast, slipped by 1pc to 349,856 vehicles in August. But cumulative output in the first eight months of the year edged up by 0.5pc to 2.65mn units — setting a record for the period and the fourth highest August on record, Ramirez said.
Mexican auto industry association AMIA noted that 79pc of exports went to the US from January-August, and that Mexico supplied 16pc of total US vehicle imports.
Domestic sales declined for a third consecutive month, falling by 3pc to 124,180 units in August from a year prior. Sales from January-August amounted to 958,006 units, down by 1pc from the year prior.
But industry associations have warned that official sales data are distorted because Inegi only tracks two of the eight electric vehicle (EV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) makers reporting sales. The remaining six — including Tesla and BYD — report exclusively to Mexico's EV association EMA, which publishes aggregate figures without a brand breakdown, EMA president Eugenio Grandio confirmed.
EMA figures showed EV and PHEV sales reached 43,656 in the January–June period, up by 40pc from a year earlier, suggesting that overall car sales are actually higher than Inegi data indicate. Ramirez called the distortion "crucial," warning that "the distortion may be increasing," and reiterated AMDA's request for EV makers to begin reporting directly to Inegi.
Inegi data, which include non-plug-in hybrids, showed EV, PHEV and hybrid sales rose by 18pc to 11,707 units in August and were up by 17pc in the first eight months to 88,269 units from a year earlier. Hybrid vehicles accounted for 72pc of those figures.
EV and PHEV production fell by 15pc to 15,141 units in August on the year — the first annual decline since early 2024. Still, output rose by 50pc to 155,778 units in the January–August period from a year earlier.
